Bahrain jails 19 more activists

A military court in Bahrain has convicted and sentenced 19 more opposition activists to jail terms for participating in anti-government protests earlier this year.

According to the state-run Bahrain News Agency, BNA, the activist received sentences ranging from a 12-month prison sentence to five years in jail for trying to burn down a police station in the capital during anti-regime protests.

The protesters blocked the streets leading to the Al Khamis police station with garbage containers, but security forces managed to stop them from setting the station on fire, BNA quoted the chief military prosecutor Colonel Yusof Fleifel as saying, adding that they intended to use petrol bombs.

The activists were also charged with taking part in public gatherings “with intent to commit crimes and breach security”.

Over the past few days, the National Safety Court, which has a mixed military and civil panel, has sentenced more than 100 opposition activist to jail for various convictions over the massive anti-government protests in the country.

On Monday, the court sentenced 36 opposition activists, among them university students, to jail terms ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment for participating in anti-government protests.

BNA said 14 were convicted to life for killing a Pakistani national in March “with a terrorist aim,” as well as “assembling for riots”.

The verdicts came days after the same military court sentenced 20 medics to jail terms of between five to 15 years for treating injured anti-government protesters.

The harsh sentences have drawn international criticism. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed ”deep concern” over the sentences and called for the release of all political detainees in Bahrain.

The United Nations human rights office has also said that the trials failed to meet international standards of transparency as the accused had been allowed limited access to lawyers.